Why Run, Plucky Becky?
by Shellyluvstoread
Summary: Three years after Jonathan got rejected by his Mistress of Fear, he wants to stay undercover, have time to think. What will happen after he finally has it all figured out? There's much more on the way.
1. Chapter 1

Tick…..

"_You had enough time to kill her if you wanted to, Crane."_

Tick…

"_She isn't everything you hate,"_

Tick…..

"_She's everything you fear."_

KABLAMM!

Numerous times in Jonathan Crane's former life had he been rejected of many things. Books, music, new clothes…love.

When he was in high school, the time where puberty had just starting to kick in and everyone was getting into relationships, he stayed after school for extra tutoring in his chemistry classes. He never fit in then, even with the smart kids. He had never quite fit into anything really, maybe that was why the bullies picked on him the most. Of course things had changed up a bit when he graduated. He became a professor of psychiatry, a respected…well more respected than he was before, member of society. Fears were his passion and the mind had been and still was his playground.

However, old scars do not fade it seemed as he went to work at the very school he had been taunted most at. Oh how things had changed. Strangers were no longer picking on him to his face; instead they went behind his back in the form of his fellow professors. He could still hear their taunts like it was yesterday.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_"You're coming to the party I'm giving tonight, don't forget."_

_"All except one, eh? He looks so shabby in those old clothes, positively weird."_

_"He earns the same salary we do, why doesn't he buy some decent clothes?"_

_"He spends every cent he earns to buy new books!"_

_"Poor Crane! He looks like a Scarecrow in those clothes, he certainly is a queer fellow..."_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

As it seemed fair at the time, he went behind theirs too, plucking the people that wouldn't be missed and examining them under bright lights as his newly developed fear toxin soared through their veins.

Of course the good-for-nothing board of directors didn't agree on his teaching strategies. He was dismissed. Not that he cared really. The university was small, community at most. He could do much better he had thought. But first, came his revenge. He would show all of the board what they had done, that it was a mistake to fire him.

And so he had terrorized the school with vandalism, thievery and kidnappings. How it had been worth it, if anything went wrong they blamed it on "The Scarecrow" haunting the place. Then Batman had to step in and ruin it all by exposing his identity and putting him on display like a maniac in Arkham. From that point on he was an outcast again. Looking back, he realized that he had always been an outcast no matter how he changed the perspective.

And so that was what had him leaping over the shrubs, ducking under thorns and hiding in the tree tops of the forests surrounding Gotham.

Jonathan lost count of how many times he had relived this same scene in his life. Escape, get caught, escape, get caught, like a maddening roller coaster. No, he had been through too many cycles, this time he wasn't going back.

He needed to think about what was doing in life. As you could probably guess, Arkham wasn't the best place to mull over the fine points of your existence, so of course a break out was in order. Maybe he needed to star over again, go from scratch.

Perhaps start teaching again. He really had enjoyed it when the students were actually listening. Yes, that sounded like an acceptable start. Oh but Scarecrow was far from done. He just needed to be hidden for a while, until the heat was off of him, a few months, a few years? Crane could wait. And just when no one expected it, the master of fear would come back to strike.


	2. Chapter 2

Getting his papers in hand wasn't really that hard. The Scarecrow was a feared member of Gotham's underground (as you could have guessed). All he needed to do was flash a few needles in people's faces and everything came to you like a dog to its whistle.

"John Crowley?" The chancellor Stephan glanced up from his half moon spectacles and ruffled his bulky white mustache. Jonathan gave him a curt nod and kept a steely eye contact as the squat man looked over his papers.

"You realize this is extremely last minute, everything has been happening so quickly..."

It seemed the position of psychiatry professor had mysteriously been emptied recently. When Jon asked about it, the chancellor replied;

"I'm afraid the poor man had a heart attack. He's going to make it, wasn't that serious but it will keep him off his feet for this year."

"Did anyone tell you why he was suddenly taken ill?" Jonathan leaned forward in his chair, narrowing his eyes at the man.

The chancellor shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. "Apparently he was...quite scared."

"Rather unusual symptom to be seen in a beach cabin." Jon commented innocently. Stephen cleared his throat and turned paler than he had been, once more adjusting his weight in the chair.

"Y-yes well, anyway your identification is in order, we would be happy to offer you a place on our staff. There is however so little time until the new year begins, you'll have to rush." Indeed, the school year was supposed to start in less than two weeks, there was much to be done.

"Very well." Jonathan stood up abruptly, trying to not admit to himself how eager he was to get his teaching materials in order again.

"W-wait, you'll need a calendar and there's a very big dance at the end of the year teachers are encouraged to come-" The plump man ruffled about in his desk and brought out a pile of papers listing the dates of school events that Jon had to try hard not to roll his eyes at. He had never participated in any of the fundraisers or group activities last time, he had no intention of changing his ways the second time around. But he took them all just the same, mainly to keep Stephen happy.

With barely enough time to get his lessons together and plan everything out, Crane had to look over some of the last professor's notes he had recently attained from the man's study. Well you didn't think he had a heart attack of fear on his own, did you?

He looked towards the dresser mirror and glared at the reflection darkly. No one had ever really seen him with his glasses on, he hoped that had been enough to fool the chancellor and apparently, everyone was an idiot these days. A pair of glasses and a new hairstyle had them fooled.

From the dinghy apartment on the edge of campus we now go to the complete opposite side, to the dorm rooms where all the students were busy enjoying the last of their summer vacation.

All the students, except for a certain ginger digging through her belongings, preparing for another year at college.

"Becky! Becky, I have the books!" A petite oriental girl hustled into the room, lugging several bags of textbooks.

Becky threw her hair back, momentarily crossing her eyes to blow a very annoying strand out of her face.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked, straightening up and digging into the cheap plastic.

"About two hundred, since they're all used."

Becky grimaced and stacked them up on her bed, checking off the last few items on her list.

"I'll pay you back when I get the money." She sighed.

"Oh it's fine, why did you want to change your major anyway?" Anita picked up one of the books and peeled off a price sticker.

"Ah...I was intrigued." Becky blushed and hurried to stuff the books into her already bursting bag.

Anita stared at her pointedly and put the book down in her lap. "Intrigued? That's what you're calling it?"

The redhead glared right back at her until Anita seemed to get the hint and drop the subject.

"Well, all I have to say is that someone up there must like you to get in with another scholarship."

"Pure luck." Becky snapped.

"Are you sure you didn't slip the chancellor a few kisses?"

And so the bickering began. Anita was quite stubborn in her point that you could do anything if you just slept with the professors around here (Really now, this is Gotham!"). But Becky always argued that there was no one here worth sleeping with only for a grade (They're all old enough to be my grandparents!"). Of course the girls grew tired after a few hours and they both settled on that they would never need to anyway and turned in.

While Anita snored softly on the other side of the room, Becky lay awake. Not because of anything having to do with Anita, she sounded like a mouse. It was the people partying next door. They all needed to get it together, less time run out and they not be ready for school!

'They probably don't care about that.' she chided herself. 'They're probably worrying about who's dating who.' Boy was she glad to be excluded from that.

Since the pounding bass was right against her wall, she had nothing left to do but think to cover up the noise.

Becky grouped a pillow around her ears and scrunched her hazel eyes shut. It was no different from the first time around.

She had graduated already you see, but came back because of her peaking interest in a new major. Psychology. She knew what got her thinking about it of course, or rather, who.

After the Scarecrow's attack on her three years before, she had stewed on his offer much more than she would like to admit. Why did he think hitting back at the world was best? What allure did fears and phobias have to him? These questions are what drove her to send in another scholarship application and come back to the university. She just had to find more out about the way he thought!


	3. Chapter 3

The first day of school. There wasn't much to say about it other than it was probably the most dreaded day of the year.

A total of ten percent of the students were happy to get back to class, the rest were dragging their feet with half full lattes to class and sleeping on the desks. But within that ten percent was our Becky and her loaded bag slung over her shoulder. She, of course, was one of the first ones in the newly unlocked classrooms, primed and ready for anything. First up was Trigonometry, then Advanced English 2, World History then finally Psychology.

In the teachers' lounge, an exasperated "John Crowly" was being given a very boring pep talk by the chancellor along with all his fellow professors.

"-so guide these students with your mind, your teachings and with an open heart!" Jon's eyebrows shot up as the man's eyes rested on his. They soon broke their stare when Jon's glare became enough to stop a pouncing lion. "G-go on!" Stephen huffed, shooing them all out the door. As you can deduce, Jonathan was not one to be "shooed". Crossing his fingers, he hoped that the rest of the day would go better than the start. When he got to his door there was a number of students already crowding around it.

"-you hear what happened to the other one?"

"-some people say it was intentional"

"-you know who took his place?"

"-I hope he's better looking than-"

The chatter died as soon as he walked through the small crowd to unlock the door. Everyone's eyes bore into his back as he ushered them into the room. He could practically feel their minds making up stories and rumors to spread about him as soon as first hour passed, probably even during first hour. He hated cell phones.

As the rest of the class took their seats, he bit back the ridiculous nervousness and started the lecture.

He was right, according to all the whispers behind curved hands all day, the social media was booming. Not knowing what was being spread around; he thought a small part of him should care. But he didn't. Let it be good or bad, they wouldn't grow up to be anything worth remembering about from the way the drool puddles on his desks kept building. And sure as hell he wasn't cleaning them up.

Halfway through the day, Becky was trotting off happily to lunch at her favorite café, when a hurtling fireball in the form of Anita rammed into her back.

"Ack!" She choked out in surprise, struggling to get the monkey off her waist.

"Have you heard about the new professor?" Anita squealed.

"Ann, you know I don't keep up with that sort of th-"

"Are you kidding? It's been retweeted about a million times!"

"I don't care-" she started but a phone was shoved in her face before she could get the words out.

Becky huffed and bounced her friend on her back, scrolling through, uninterested at the posts gushing about him until she caught one that made her look twice.

'Becky had better get her gas mask ready, SCARECROWS ESCAPED! :D -Brittany'

She grimaced at the smiley at the end of the tweet with chagrin. What was there to be happy about? Well, this time he didn't know where she was, so she was safe.

"I don't have time for this; I need to get to lunch then my last class." Becky handed the phone back to her friend.

"What do you have?"

"Psychiatry." Anita's smile grew and she held on tighter to the taller girl's back.

"I have that class too!"

Becky was happy to have a friend in one of her classes finally.

"Well then let's go, shall we?" Anita dug her ankles into Becky's side as if urging her on.

"…I'm not giving you a piggyback ride."

"Oh come on, please?"

"…fine"

After her lunch of a simple hamburger ("I'm so jealous, you can eat whatever you want and stay thin as a twig!") Becky and Anita were finally off to their last class of the day. Just before walking in the door though, Becky put her down.

"I'm not carrying you into the class like that." Anita whined but gave it up when they came upon the gaggle of girls in front of the psychiatry classroom, tittering amongst themselves.

"What's the matter with them?" Becky murmured to her friend.

"Must be something about the professor."

"That's this class? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you of all people would know what went on at school!"

They pushed through them, all hanging around their phones like monkeys to bananas.

"-Laura says he's the ugliest!"

"-Oh, he's gorgeous!"

"-ick! I don't see what all the fuss is about, he looks like a Scarecrow!"

As they finally got past the boundary, Anita whispered to Becky "Told you so."

"Becky shrugged and looked around for the seat, not looking over to the teacher's desk yet. But the small movement was too much for her poor book bag, which split right down the middle. Anita bent down to help her get the fallen books but was pushed aside roughly as the stream of girls rushed in before the bell.

"Manners these days." She heard a smooth voice mumble to her right. Bending down, her head collided hard with another in front of her. Becky yelped in pain and held her head, looking up to see a man in his early thirties with shaggy reddish brown hair and ocean blue eyes behind circular glasses staring back at her in bewilderment.

He looked like he had seen a ghost! Becky blushed darker than she was and scrambled to pick up her books, scurrying to an open seat in the front row. Now she knew what they were talking about, and boy, they had been right on the most accounts. The new professor was, in their terminology, damn fine.

Jonathan went up to his podium trying to get over the extreme shock of seeing a girl he had obsessed over again, this time on his turf. Scarecrow was screaming at him from the edge of his brain;

"_She's yours! MAKE HER YOURS!"_

No! He fought against the tugging at his psyche and tore his gaze away from her.

"G-good afternoon class, welcome to Psychiatry."


End file.
